China’s virus-hit economy shrinks for first time in decades

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China’s economy shrank for the first time in decades in the first quarter of the year, as the virus forced factories and businesses to close, BBC reports.

The world’s second biggest economy contracted 6.8% according to official data released on Friday.

The financial toll the coronavirus is having on the Chinese economy will be a huge concern to other countries.

China is an economic powerhouse as a major consumer and producer of goods and services.

This is the first time China has seen its economy shrink in the first three months of the year since it started recording quarterly figures in 1992.

“The GDP contraction in January-March will translate into permanent income losses, reflected in bankruptcies across small companies and job losses,” said Yue Su at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Last year, China saw healthy economic growth of 6.4% in the first quarter, a period when it was locked in a trade war with the US.

In the last two decades, China has seen average economic growth of around 9% a year, although experts have regularly questioned the accuracy of its economic data.

Its economy had ground to a halt during the first three months of the year as it introduced large-scale shutdowns and quarantines to prevent the virus spread in late January.

As a result, economists had expected bleak figures, but the official data comes in slightly worse than expected.

Among other key figures released in Friday’s report:

• Factory output was down 1.1% for March as China slowly starts manufacturing again.
• Retail sales plummeted 15.8% last month as many of shoppers stayed at home.
• Unemployment hit 5.9% in March, slightly better than February’s all-time high of 6.2%.